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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29205558">Somewhere Only We Know</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Mist/pseuds/Purple_Mist'>Purple_Mist</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Dorks in Love, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, Healing, Light Angst, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Unrequited Amanai Kanoka/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Unrequited Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Yamaguchi Tadashi is a Good Friend, it sounds a lot angstier than it actually is-, like i am a dumb lesbian in love let me have this please, there's some tsukkiyama if you squint, u know what i lied you can see the tsukkiyama from a kilometer away</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:34:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,603</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29205558</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Mist/pseuds/Purple_Mist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"The scene really did feel like a movie. The wedding venue seemed far from where they were seated, its lights and music barely noticeable. Wind blowing and the lake shining. Two girls, heartbroken and desolated, not quite sure on how to help the other one out."</p><p>--</p><p>The story of how a single night was able to start a chain of events in the girls' lives, changing them in a way neither of them would've ever imagined.</p><p>[ON TEMPORARY HIATUS]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amanai Kanoka/Yachi Hitoka, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. feelings are fatal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So a little while ago I was first introduced to this ship, and when I tell you I fell harder than Yamaguchi in official arts... their dynamic is just too sweet<br/>Music has a big role in this fic, and I ended up using it as inspiration. Each chapter is titled after the song I inspired myself in to write it. It isn't a songfic, but if you listen to the songs it will be quite obvious that I was blasting them on my headphones while writing<br/>I hope you enjoy this first chapter!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun was low on the horizon, and there wasn’t a single cloud on the baby-blue sky. The trees were green and full of life, sunlight shining on their leaves. Along with the lights, the sun coming in through the windows illuminated the ceremony area. It was the perfect afternoon for the wedding.</p><p>Simple but fancy, pink and blue flowers were all around, decorating the white and beige walls and tables. A beautiful color scheme for a beautiful wedding. Yachi wished her mood matched the energy around her.</p><p>It wasn’t like she wasn’t happy for them. She was, she really was. She just didn’t think it would hurt this much actually being there.</p><p>Tanaka stood at the front, a smile as wide as his face allowed. He looked nervous, but his clear excitement covered that well. The grey suit and blue tie felt too formal for him, but at the same time, it was just right. It was hard to imagine him in anything but that for the occasion. He always had such an intimidating aura, but at the moment all he sparked was joy, his eyes darting the door and back every two seconds, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. <em> It’s almost time now.</em></p><p>As the music slowly changed, Hitoka held her breath. <em> Here it comes</em>. People slowly rose, turning to the open doors at the other end of the aisle, where the bride started to come in through.</p><p>Kiyoko looked beautiful, more than Hitoka had ever seen. Her long white dress gave her a soft and delicate look, the high neck bodice matching her shoulders and face perfectly. As she walks past her, Yachi sees how the lace-trimmed straps take the open back to a high stage, and how the A-line skirt gathers at the banded waist and flares to the floor. But the dress doesn’t matter much, considering how Kiyoko can look like a goddess wearing a potato sack and covered in mud. It was <em>her</em> that looked so radiant, so bright, so… happy. She was glowing, with radiant eyes and a dazzling smile, which slowly made Yachi smile too. </p><p>It faded once it all started, though. It was all just too much. Too much pain, too many emotions. Too many memories, too much love. Their vows were sweet and funny and just right. The words coming out of theirs and the priest’s mouth barely registering on her brain, as she tried to stop the room from spinning.</p><p>The American-like wedding was Tanaka’s idea, of course. <em> “Just like in the movies!!”</em>. Kiyoko said yes, of course, but not before adding some details of her own alongside her mother. The entire ceremony just screamed <em>them</em>. </p><p>Was it wrong to be jealous now? To wish it was her holding Kiyoko’s hands up there, looking into her eyes as everyone watched them tie the oh so wanted knot? <em> Yes. She wouldn’t be happy, would she? </em> Was her mind’s final answer. But there was always that small, problematic part. <em> No, but I would</em>.</p><p>Hitoka lost track of what was happening, too lost in her own thoughts. The next thing she knew, hot tears streamed down her face, and the two kissed, as everyone cheered and celebrated. </p><p>She couldn’t bear it anymore. It was too much, way too much to be there. Her head was spinning and her hands were shaking. Her own feelings were too overwhelming, and she felt entirely out of place. <em> Only a few more minutes and it’ll be almost done. It will be soon</em>.</p><p>Kiyoko and Tanaka - well, they were both Tanaka now - were laughing and glowing, hugging and kissing once more. Hitoka was really glad she was known for being emotional. She didn’t need anyone noticing the real reason behind so many tears. From the corner of her eye, she could see Yamaguchi and the rest of the old Karasuno team, all cheering too. They wouldn’t notice if she left for just a second, right?</p><p>Trying to not bump into anyone, Hitoka made her way outside through the side door, doing her best to not bring any attention to herself. Once the noise from inside was barely audible, deep into the yard and almost at the lake, she allowed herself to finally let everything out.</p><p>It started with a small, shaken sob followed by more tears, but it didn’t take long for it to completely hit and crush her. Knees shaking and vision blurry, her cries grew as she sat down on the grass, the setting sun’s light hitting her face. She stayed there for a while, her tears slowly stopping. The weight and emptiness on her chest were still there, though. Pulling her knees as far up as her dress allowed, she put her head down and counted her breaths. Her heart came back to a normal pace, but she couldn’t seem to stop crying for some reason. </p><p>She leaned back, and was not ready for what she saw.</p><p>Walking at a fast pace and cleaning tears from her cheeks came a tall, dark-haired woman. Hitoka let out a small squeal of surprise, not expecting anyone to go there during the start of the party. The other girl seemed startled too, stopping abruptly once she notices the blonde there</p><p>“Oh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! I thought no one was going to be here now, I should have paid attention-” the stranger quickly apologized, her voice surprisingly softer than Yachi expected, especially coming from a girl of such large stature. Her dark eyes were red and puffy, tears still fresh on her face.</p><p>“No no- I, uhm, I should be the one, the one apologizing I shouldn’t have screamed, wait you can stay and, and I’ll head back… or find another spot? I’m sorry!” even after so many years, Hitoka still talked to new people as if she was being held at gunpoint. She was about to stand up and leave the giant alone, but something on the other’s face stopped her. “..o-or you, uh, could sit and, and we could talk..? I’m sorry that was weird a-and you probably want to be alone-”</p><p>“Talking... doesn’t sound too bad” she cut Yachi off, seating down and carefully making sure her dress didn’t get too messy. It was a floor-length chiffon dress, with no sleeves and of a beautiful sky blue shade. Now closer, Hitoka could see how her dark and short hair perfectly followed the curves of her face, and how her eyeliner was a bit smudged from crying. Slowly, she started to connect the dots. They stayed silent for a bit before Yachi finally gathered up enough courage to ask.</p><p>“Do… do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>The other let out a small sigh, chuckling before resting her head against her knees, being now in a similar position to Hitoka.</p><p>“It’s harder than you expected it to be, too?” Yachi felt her cheeks turning red. Even though they were in similar situations, it felt embarrassing to admit it. “I’m Kanoka, Amanai Kanoka. I... I went to the same school as Ryu-chan when we were little. You?”</p><p>“Oh! I didn’t introduce myself before asking, how rude of me… I’m Yachi! Hitoka, Yachi. I went to the, uh, same High School as them” Kanoka’s expression slowly changed, as if she finally found the missing piece of a puzzle.</p><p>“Wait, Karasuno? That’s why you looked familiar, then. You were one of their managers, right? I think I remember seeing you during one of the games back then” upon noticing the smaller one’s confusion, the girl let out a small chuckle “I played for Niiyama High, I watched some of Ryu’s games in-between my own matches.”</p><p>“I thought we had met before and I forgot and I was so worried for a second… glad my memory isn’t worse than I thought” that made her chuckle again. They both seemed a bit calmer now, the now yellow sky reflected on the lake as the sun set. The silence wasn’t exactly awkward, but Hitoka felt like she should say something, being the one who invited Kanoka to talk and all that.</p><p>She fiddled with the rem of her dress, barely passing her knees. The sky was almost the same shade as it, now that she actually thought about it. <em> What should I say? How do I say it? </em> Back to being lost in thought, the only thing stopping her from getting into a loop once again was the girl beside her talking again.</p><p>“Is it weird? I mean, that… that I’m not over it yet?” her voice went back to the previous tone, smaller and sorrowful. Hitoka thought about it for a second. Was it? Was she weird too? Should she even open up to an almost stranger about it?</p><p>“I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it?” She took a deep breath, choosing her next words carefully “Like... after you know them for so long, like them for so long... I think it is only natural to be drowned with memories and sadness in a situation like this” Kanoka seemed to think about it for a second, and Hitoka started to wonder if she had said something wrong.</p><p>“You’re right... I guess I just thought I was over it. I really didn’t expect it to hurt so much. It just...”</p><p>“It feels more concrete now?” Hitoka knew how she felt, she really did. Ever since they started dating, she knew she didn’t have a chance anymore, now, it was for real.</p><p>“Yes! I mean, I feel happy for them, so so happy. I’m happy to see Ryu-chan and Kiyoko-san together and so cheerful, and I was sure I got over him a couple of years ago. I felt like I was over it! I feel a bit pathetic, even, crying here outside... sorry! That makes you sound bad too...”</p><p>“No no I get it!” the blonde quickly answered. “I feel a bit like that too, I didn’t want to be a burden to them... definitely wasn’t expecting to end up here, crying at the lake just like in those cheesy romantic movies...”</p><p>The scene really did feel like a movie. The wedding venue seemed far from where they were seated, its lights and music barely noticeable. Wind blowing and the lake shining. Two girls, heartbroken and desolated, not quite sure on how to help the other one out.</p><p>“It’s a bit funny how I thought I came prepared and now, well, I guess ranting to a girl I just met in the venue’s backyard wasn’t part of my plans for today” at that, they both laughed. A mix of awkwardness, nervousness, and everything else altogether. </p><p>“Tell me about it... I thought all I was going to come, suffer, eat some dessert, and go back home, back to my everyday routine!” they smiled, it being a bit more genuine this time.</p><p>The conversation flowed nicely after that. Hitoka wasn’t quite sure why, but it didn’t feel all that bad to just sit there and... talk. They barely brought up how the whole situation started, opting to talk a bit about random things at the wedding, what they would do after going home, and sharing small facts about themselves. Hitoka was glad for that, not wanting to simply dump all her pathetic problems on the other girl. </p><p>Yachi learned Kanoka plans on going pro, as she wants to get stronger and become one of Japan’s strongest players, and how she would soon officially play for a V-League Division 1 team, not that she actually knew what that was. Yachi talked about how she was in her second year of university, and how it was her final week of exams and that soon she would finally get a well-deserved break.</p><p>She wasn’t quite sure of when it got so dark, but she could barely see Kanoka’s face now. The sun had completely set, the only light coming from the few visible stars and the faraway party. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“...and where was I again? Sorry I’m horrible at <em>not </em>losing my train of thought...” she said, after starting a side story to what she was saying for the third or fourth time now. They both smiled, faces lighting up in the dark.</p><p>“I think you mentioned something about how-” Hitoka was cut off by loud footsteps, followed by a booming, familiar voice.</p><p>“Kanoka-kun!! There you are! Man, I was looking all around for you... Oh, Yachi! Wait, I never introduced you two before did I?” Tanaka’s face probably hurt from smiling so much, and he was still as gleeful as before. Suddenly being brought back to reality, Hitoka noticed how her small five-minute break probably lasted over half an hour. “What are you two up to? I think I saw Yamaguchi trying to find you too Yacchan, he seemed a bit worried. But anyways, Kanoka, you need to come see this!!” </p><p>The girls quickly looked at each other, a bit glad Tanaka’s pace was so quick they didn’t even need to make up any excuses. Kanoka slowly stood up, slightly cleaning her dress and she did so. Even next to Tanaka, she was still very tall. Hitoka couldn’t help but feel a bit down that their conversation ended so abruptly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so carefree while talking to a girl she’d just met.</p><p>“Uhm, you can go, Ryu-chan. I’ll be right behind you!” Hitoka was a bit confused, and Tanaka seemed to be the same, but he started to make his way back anyway. Kanoka quickly turned around, looking for something in inexistent pockets. “I’m really glad we were able to talk, Yachi. It helped me more than I expected. Let’s do this again sometime.” she waved slightly, grinning.</p><p>“Wait, here!!” Hitoka was quick to find her purse, which she didn’t even remember being with, pulling her phone out and awkwardly standing up. Kanoka was way taller compared to her than she was prepared. “Here, I could write, uh write your number down and give you mine, so you know, if you ever need to rant again...” she felt her face warming up, and had to look up to be able to look the other in the eye.</p><p>“Yeah, I would like that” Kanoka smiled back, slowly taking Yachi’s phone and writing her number down, quickly typing and sending something. “This way I won’t forget where your number is” </p><p>They smiled once more and waved goodbye before Tanaka called out for her again. As Kanoka hurriedly made her way to him, Hitoka looked down at her phone. The taller one had added her number, sending herself a small <em> [Hey, it’s Yachi!!] </em> so she wouldn’t have to memorize the blonde’s number. </p><p>Hitoka checked her dress, which was a bit covered in dirt and grass, quickly brushing it off. She didn’t exactly feel completely better, but the pain in her chest was gone now. As she made her way back to where the party and everyone was, Yamaguchi came at full speed in her direction, almost falling over.</p><p>“You’re here!! Oh god when I realized you left I was so worried and I went literally <em>everywhere </em>and started getting desperate, are you okay?!” he sounded completely out of air, holding her arms tight and bending down to be eye to eye with her. Tsukishima could be seen coming in their direction, probably being dragged around by Yamaguchi as he tried to find her.</p><p>“I didn’t mean to worry you... or be gone for almost an hour...” she apologized, trying to calm the boy down. “And I’m okay, really”</p><p>“Are you sure? This was probably hard on you, we can talk if you want” Yamaguchi sounded a bit surprised, and for the first time in the past week, she actually meant the next words that came out of her mouth.</p><p>“I’m fine, no need to worry”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm already planning and writing the next chapters, and they are on their way!! Because of school and desperately trying to improve my art skills, it will probably take a bit over a week in between updates, but I'll do my best!<br/>Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this very self-indulgent fic my sleep-deprived, touch-starved lesbian self somehow wrote.<br/>And if anyone's for some reason crazy like me and wondering, these are <a href="https://www.jjshouse.com/A-Line-Scoop-Neck-Floor-Length-Chiffon-Wedding-Dress-002186384-g186384/?utm_term=186384&amp;utm_size=Small&amp;ggsub=pl&amp;ggntk=u&amp;ggcid=457990082582&amp;ggkey=&amp;ggpos=&amp;ggdev=c&amp;ggdevm=&amp;ggplm=&amp;ggtgt=&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA0-6ABhDMARIsAFVdQv-XOO3RiMAeMvy20tprhlfc3zRInFPNb6SUp2XucZ4uiAJpnMfe8ygaAn7DEALw_wcB&amp;currency=CAD">Kiyoko's</a>, <a href="https://www.azazie.ca/products/azazie-bonnie-bridesmaid-dress?color=ink_blue&amp;utm_term=1000976&amp;utm_size=6&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA0-6ABhDMARIsAFVdQv9CweXq7KCLVqGYG70FhrNJ6_V9xi8KJW8jp7L0Ycd8osLAUAvR2tgaAp03EALw_wcB">Kanoka's</a> (click on the sky blue one, for some reason the link changes the color), and <a href="https://zapaka.ca/products/yellow-vintage?_pos=1&amp;_sid=7e2cd9853&amp;_ss=r">Yachi's</a> dresses !! The chapter would have probably been posted sooner if I didn't spend two hours searching them up-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Can I Call You Tonight?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's Valentines' Day, so I get to self-project onto Yachi as much as I want to while writing her during exam week!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No, you don’t <em> get </em> it... I did everything I always do, so why did I get a B minus? A <em> B minus </em> Yamaguchi... it wasn’t even a B or a B plus...” Hitoka said, phone clutched in between her ear and shoulder as she looked through her notes, trying to find proof her professor did not teach them whatever questions 4 and 6 were in that term. Exam weeks had always been stressful, but she usually managed fairly well. She was good at working under pressure, getting pretty good grades, and finding a way to not let exhaustion get to her. It was clear that those days were over, though.</p><p>July had officially ended, and as the first week of August began, Hitoka couldn’t help but feel as if she was trying to hold eight wine glasses in one hand. In between studying, taking tests, and getting feedback on her work, while still trying to take time to take care of herself, and staying focused, all she wanted to do was lay down under her bed and ignore the world around her. Oddly enough, the wedding itself didn’t seem to have much effect on her.</p><p>“Yachi, it’s just one, one small B minus in the middle of a bunch of B pluses and As, one small test. I’m sure it won’t affect you much.” Yamaguchi did his best to soothe her, knowing how deeply the girl cared about her grades and always doing the best she was capable of.</p><p>“I know that, I just... I haven’t been able to focus, like, ever. No matter how much I try, no matter how prepared I think I am, my mind goes blank the moment I look at the first question. And don’t even get me started on-” once they started college, Yamaguchi offered to lend an ear whenever the girl needed it, knowing it wouldn’t be the most relaxing time for her. She was, slowly, growing more confident, just like during High School, but that didn’t mean Tadashi could spend more than two days without Hitoka calling him. That was just another normal Thursday for them.</p><p>He really didn’t mind, though, since it wasn’t all that different from when she would do that in person. It took her a while, but around their third year, she was finally able to open up to Yamaguchi without immediately apologizing for oversharing.</p><p>“Is the wedding still bothering you that much?” his tone was cautious, but at the same time intrigued. Hitoka did make sure he knew she was fine, and that the wedding was a lot to take in, but she was able to get better rather quickly. She didn’t exactly explain the whole <em> “I-ended-up-ranting-to-a-girl-I-had-just-met-and-we-exchanged-phone-numbers-to-talk-again-later” </em> situation, not wanting to expose Kanoka. A part of her still wanted that moment to stay like that, something they had, that crazy and fun talk that somehow left her like this. She felt a bit dumb for that.</p><p>“I mean, yes... but at the same time no...?” Hitoka chose her words carefully. There wasn’t a good way to explain it without having to tell the whole story. “It’s... complicated,” she sighed. Maybe she should just tell him what happened that night. Yamaguchi <em> did </em> give some good advice. </p><p>“Do you want to talk about it later then? I know you’re on lunch break now, and Tsukki and I were going out to grab some food. If you don’t want to wait you could come with us and talk in person.” </p><p>“I think I’ll call you later. I need to study if I don’t want to get another horrible grade…” she sighed, slowly laying her head on the table, lazily holding her phone.</p><p>“A B minus <em> isn’t </em> a horrible grade… see? Even Tsukki agrees with me!” Hitoka could hear a muffled voice in the background, along with the sound of a door being pushed open. “We’ll be leaving now, so text me if anything else happens, okay? If you don’t call me tonight I <em> will </em> assume you fell asleep from studying too much again in the library… bye-bye!!”</p><p>And with that, he hung up, leaving Hitoka alone with her thoughts as she tried to prepare for her Commercial and Advertising Art’s test that afternoon. Unfortunately, the night of the wedding still wouldn’t let her be. It had been on her mind since the moment she and Kanoka parted ways.</p><p>She thought that after she got home on Sunday night, she would lay in bed for a few hours while blasting the saddest songs she could find, and then she would try to prepare for Monday. It was surprising that after she got home that night, Hitoka was not only able to organize her schedule but also get some work done and she barely felt any different. There was something that kept her up, though.</p><p>Right when she was about to fall asleep, her phone lit up with a notification. Once she saw what it was, she immediately jumped up, almost falling over.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> [10:27pm - From: Kanoka] </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hey Yachi, it’s me, Kanoka. I wasn’t able to properly say goodbye after Ryu-chan dragged me around to show me stuff, and had a ton of work once I got home, so I was only now able to text you. I had a really good time talking to you, and I hope we can do that again. Thanks again for letting me rant a bit, even though I ended up not telling you the entire story. And good luck with your exams, I think you mentioned something about being the final week before break, so I hope you do well ^^ </em>
</p><p> </p><p>At first, Hitoka just sat there, trying to figure out what to reply. Should she say she had fun too? Tell her she would also like to have another chance to talk? Deal with it in the morning? Thank her too?</p><p>After she deleted and rewrote a text for the fifth time now, Yachi pressed <em>send</em>, satisfied with her final product.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> [10:43pm - From: You] </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I also had a fun time talking to you, and don’t worry, you can text me or just give me a call if anything is bothering you too much again! I’ll try my best at my exams, I’ll hopefully not have too many problems. And good luck to you too, you said something about a new tactic you wanted to try out with your team!! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>That Sunday night was, in fact, hard. But Hitoka didn’t expect it to be because of something other than the girl she loved for years getting married.</p><p>Was it weird that Kiyoko barely crossed her mind? That it was probably her talk with Kanoka that left her calm enough to do things before her exams? That she fell asleep only after hours of thinking about the giant at the garden?</p><p>It being weird or not, it did make Hitoka late for her first Monday class. And, that affected her on Tuesday too. </p><p>She couldn’t help but wonder if Kanoka would actually call.</p><p>Of course she would prefer if she didn’t, considering she told her to give her a call if she felt like just ranting again. But at the same time, she wanted to just have another carefree conversation with the girl.</p><p>
  <em> Would it really be like that, though? </em>
</p><p>Would they just drift into another calm and random talk, forgetting their problems, just like that? Would they end up being stuck or getting too sad again? Would Kanoka even want to talk again?</p><p>They met for only a simple afternoon, and Hitoka was already overthinking and over-exaggerating the smallest details, checking her phone every two seconds.</p><p>Needless to say, that week had been a struggle. Failing to pay attention or focus on anything other than checking her notifications, from Monday to Thursday her week only seemed to get worse.</p><p>Her exams were officially over, and all that was left was some final feedback on Friday before she would finally be on Summer Break. She didn’t feel nearly as relaxed as she should, though. Still angry with the grade she got on Wednesday’s assessment, and now unsatisfied with how her final test had gone, she felt like she was about to explode.</p><p>Finally back at her apartment after what seemed an eternity, all Hitoka wanted was to lay down in her bed and sleep for at least eleven hours straight. The place wasn’t big, but it did accommodate her well. A small kitchen and living room, one bedroom and bathroom. Her mom helped her settle in, and at this point, it felt like home. There wasn’t too much stuff around, just some simple furniture, but the usually organized and clean area was full of papers, sticky notes, and missing socks. It did fit how her life was at the moment, though.</p><p>Her legs and arms felt heavy, and it was almost as if someone was repeatedly hitting her head with a hammer. If it weren’t for the giant pile of laundry she forgot to fold that morning, she probably would have laid down already. <em> Why did past me think it would be a good idea to leave this for future me? </em></p><p>Letting out a groan, she tried to be as quick as possible, swiftly folding and putting away shirts and skirts. She was going to relax even if she had to force herself to.</p><p>Hitoka was so close. That week was a never-ending loop of work and chores, people needing her help and her having more to do than she could manage. If she could only lay down and maybe even watch some TV before the week finally ended…</p><p>At long last, the blonde was able to plop down on her bed and just be, humming softly as her head finally rested against the soft pillow. Falling asleep seemed like a good option, her eyes already a bit heavy. Her phone ringing woke her up from the momentary peace, and a sound had never annoyed her so much. Her body tensed up again. What could Yamaguchi have possibly done and why couldn’t Tsukishima help him? Too tired to care, she picks up, short and quick.</p><p>“What?!” her voice came out graver than she expected, but it wasn’t like Yamaguchi wasn’t used to dealing with the girl at her breaking point.</p><p>“Oh, uhm, I’m sorry, is this a bad time? I should have probably texted you first” Kanoka’s voice was still as soft and silvery as the first time they met, this time a bit more full of worry and surprise, though.</p><p>Jumping up, Hitoka almost fell off her bed. Did she fall asleep? Did all the stress caused by wondering if the other would call actually go and affect her dreams? Did she just accidentally snap at Kanoka, who has no clue why she would be in such a bad mood?</p><p>“No no!! I’m sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t mean to sound like that, uh, long week, but, uhm, what’s up? Is everything okay?” Yachi tried to control her voice, not trusting her tired self to say more than that. She adjusted herself, sitting down a bit more comfortably.</p><p>After a small pause, the other girl started again.</p><p>“Are you sure you don’t prefer talking later? I shouldn't have called you out of the blue like this… and you did mention you had exams this week… I'm sorry.... Did things go well?”</p><p>Kanoka still remembers things she mentioned then. Hitoka isn’t sure why that made her a bit happier.</p><p>“No, no... I´m glad you called… It was a bit rough... but nothing I couldn’t handle! I actually thought you were someone else, and he’s used to me ranting about my exams all the time. I really didn't mean to, to sound like that. He’s just the type of person that calls you randomly to cheer you up, you know?”</p><p>“Don’t worry! I should have probably texted you first anyway... It’s, uhm, it’s good to have someone that listens to you and makes things easier like that friend of yours.” Kanoka’s tone changed, getting a bit sadder as she spoke. It took Yachi a few seconds before realizing it.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry!! I didn’t think before I said that, uhm, are you doing okay? You mentioned things getting rougher now that- well, you know...” </p><p>There was another small pause, and Hitoka bit her lip. Was bringing Tanaka up a good idea? </p><p>“I… I’m sorry, the whole Ryu thing has been on my mind for a while, and I thought maybe talking to someone would help, I’m just feeling a bit off, but if you’re busy I could-”</p><p>“No no!! You can talk if you want to,” Hitoka cut her off. “Letting it out could help, so... I’m all ears.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was a tiny bit shorter than the last one, but the next chapter is going to be BIG, so brace yourselves...<br/>I'm happy I was able to finish this earlier than I was planning, and I hope chapter three will be also easy to write.<br/>I'm having a lot of fun planning the chapters out and writting them, so I hope you're liking reading it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Kindergarten Boyfriend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kanoka took a deep breath, and Hitoka could hear shuffling coming from the other end, as the girl probably adjusted her position. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I… I should probably start from the beginning, since last time I barely gave you any context to how I got into such a mess…”  Her voice slowly started to be soaked in nostalgia and old memories as she spoke. “We met on my first day of school, I was barely six at the time. It was a new school, and even though we were all new there, I still felt as if I was a bit too out of place”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitoka’s back rested against the hard bed frame and soft pillows, legs stretched out and blanket tangled on her feet, as she attentively listened to the other girl’s story. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she really wanted to help Kanoka out, and she did help </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> out too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As you can probably imagine, Ryu-chan was extremely, and I mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>extremely </span>
  </em>
  <span>hyper. Even more than he is now. He came into my life like a wrecking ball, changing so many things at once. It was good having a friend, and… well, he was the best friend I could’ve asked for. No matter where I was or what I doing, he was there”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kanoka-chan! There you are!! Let’s eat together!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kanoka, how did you already finish the homework?! You’re like, a genius or something!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wanna walk home together?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I, obviously, liked him a lot. We were close friends, and he was the reason so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> many good things happened.” Kanoka’s voice wandered off, Tanaka did seem to have a big impact on her from the very beginning. Maybe, it was even bigger than Hitoka had imagined.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just… you know that person who doesn’t care about what you are or what you look like, they just care that you make them happy and are glad to make you happy too? He was…” </span>
</p>
<p><span>“He was the one who opened your eyes?</span> <span>The one who showed new perspectives?” It was just a small pause, but Yachi was able to fill in the narrative as if she already knew the story.</span> <span>Once again, the similarities between them were emerging in their conversations.</span> <span>Both had someone who simply made their world a thousand times brighter. Both got their hearts broken by said someone.</span></p>
<p><span>“Yes! It just… he was everywhere. Everyone knew who he was, he was doing all things he was capable of, while I was… there. In a corner, being just me. And for some reason, he still came to </span><em><span>me</span></em><span>. </span><em><span>He</span></em><span> introduced me to volleyball, </span><em><span>he</span></em><span> found a way for something I hated about myself to be one of my favorite things about me, </span><em><span>he</span></em><span> helped me to become who I am today…”</span> <span>There was another pause after that, followed by the girl taking a deep breath. I mean, it wasn’t every day you told someone half of your childhood story.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Back when they first met, Hitoka already felt as if they were the same. Their situations were basically identical, and this feeling of having someone who actually understood how you felt only grew. It was as if Kanoka was reading the girl’s mind and telling her story from a different angle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Once I moved away, we were nine at the time, I still couldn’t stop thinking about him. At first, he just wouldn’t leave my mind, you know? I would see literally anything and my brain’s first response would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Ryu-chan would like this </span>
  </em>
  <span>or </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ryu-chan used to have something similar to this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And it wasn’t like we completely stopped talking, we just… we slowly started to drift apart. Up to fifth grade, we would still hang out every once in a while, but after that, it was hard to keep contact. I missed him, but it was like I could finally be over him. I just don’t know if I wanted that or not…” Kanoka’s voice got smaller, starting to shake a bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were many things Hitoka wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that she understood how she felt, that it was like that for her too. She wanted to say it was bad and that at some point it should get better, that it was okay and she would be okay. She didn’t know how, though. How could she say stuff like that when she was still not over her own crush? All Yachi could do was sit back and listen. It seemed like what Kanoka needed her to do too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think… I think the problem </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> started when we went to the Nationals, back then. I- I can’t explain it. It was like all the feelings I thought were gone broke through the door and knocked me over.” a small, bitter laugh followed her words. “Ryu-chan looked even more astonishing than when we were little. That swirl of emotions when I saw him playing… it not only inspired me, but it made me realize how much I fucking missed him”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl sniffled, and Hitoka could hear her move around once again. She wanted to comfort her, but how? Did she even need comfort at that moment?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And then… I was stupid and thought about him too much. I was there to play volleyball! Not to, to, to think about boys! I tried to confess to him, I did… I got turned down though. I feel stupid because of that. I got my answer, I knew he didn’t like me back. So why did I still feel like that at the wedding, and why do I still feel off as of right now?” Kanoka’s voice rose, as she got angrier… at herself? Hitoka felt a bit bad about herself too, now. Kanoka at least tried to confess, and got an answer. Her, on the other hand… she never even tried to tell Shimizu how she really felt. She never found out if she had a chance. Yachi needed to say something. She couldn’t just listen to the other girl rant and question herself and do nothing about it. What would she want to hear if she was the one letting all her feelings out?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should have gotten over him back then. I was so freaking sure I did! I focused on training and playing well, trying to win, aiming for the top. Ryu-chan </span>
  <em>
    <span>motivated</span>
  </em>
  <span> me.” with a short gasp, Kanoka picked up her pace, flooding Yachi with words. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> made me focus more on the games. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> mostly forget him back then already. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he rejected me. If he hadn’t, I would have probably been too distracted thinking about him, more than I already was, and wouldn’t have won as many games as me and my team did! And that also made me realize how much I wanted to keep him as a friend, and how it was great to talk to him again, and how by just being close to him again I felt so good. Of course I still had something for him! He introduced me to my biggest passion, and was the one who always helped me get better at it! Why wouldn’t I be still a bit in love with someone like him? I think… I was finally able to cut it all off that night at the wedding, then. I was almost there, and seeing him marry the girl of </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> dreams was the final push I needed, along with finally ranting to someone, well, you! And… well, I just wasn’t ready to get that final push… but I think... yeah, I think I’m better now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kanoka was breathless, and Hitoka wasn’t sure on what to say. She had tried to help her out during this realization, but she was only able to hum as the other girl went off. The older one let out another gasp, as realization kicked in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god, I’m so so sorry I literally just went on by myself and basically excluded you from the conversation-” Kanoka apologized, sniffing again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, you probably needed it anyways. This helped me realize one or two things about myself too… and now I think I finally understand how Yamaguchi feels when we talk” Hitoka said, not being able to hold back a small laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess I did… but, uhm, who’s Yamaguchi again?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right! I don’t think I mentioned him did I? He’s the friend I said I thought was calling me, we’ve known each other since High School.” Even though she was alone in her room, talking to a phone, Yachi still gesticulated with her hands, now almost sitting up on her knees on the bed. “He’s really nice! He gives me some pretty good advice too, and I don’t know how he hasn’t combusted considering how much I end up needing him. He’s tall and has a bunch of freckles and is </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Tsukishima… wait, sorry this is probably getting confusing…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Kanoka’s turn to laugh now. “He sounds like a great friend. Kinda reminds me of a friend I also met back in High School, Maiko. She was always trying to help me and was a bit hyper too… but what about this Tsukishima guy? Did you also meet him back in High School?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We did! I mean, Yamaguchi and Tsukki met when they were little, and I met them once I joined the volleyball club!! Oh, they were number eleven and twelve, you probably saw them at Nationals! Tsukishima is the tall, scary blond, even though he isn’t all that bad… I mean, he is, but not really? It’s complicated. I also met Hinata and Kageyama, our super-quick-freak-duo, back then. But Hinata is in Brazil now, and Kageyama should be coming back from the Olympics around now too?” as Hitoka spoke, the tension in the air completely faded, and the girl could almost feel Kanoka completely relax on the other side. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kageyama Tobio</span>
  </em>
  <span>? You’re also friends with him?” Kanoka’s tone completely changed from down and careful to curious and excited. “He’s one of the setters for Japan’s national team! The girls in my team talk about him quite a lot, he’s like, a genius.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We haven’t talked much in the past few months, but yes! He seems scary and intimidating, but he’s actually really nice. And also a bit… not bright. I mean, he’s a genius when it comes to volleyball, but Tsukishima and I always had to tutor him and Hinata when it came to literally anything school-related… Oh! You said you were playing for the Red Rabbits, right? What’s your team like?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, the girls are all amazing, and I miss my old team sometimes but they’re great too! They’re all here in Sendai with me, we had a practice match this week. Our captain, Hirugami-san, is very strong and doesn’t go easy on us, neither does Hagihara-san, our coach, but it’s making us improve quickly and they’re very considerate. And Hirugami-san’s older brother is also incredible! He’s the captain for a Division 1 team too, and I think her younger brother played back in High School too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was from… Kamomedai, right?” Hitoka could faintly remember the tall middle blocker from the team that beat them back on their first year at Nationals. It felt like it had happened centuries ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think? Oh, and don’t even get me </span>
  <em>
    <span>started</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the rest of the girls…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow, Kanoka calling to rant turned into them talking about volleyball and friends, which led them to talk about the most random things for hours. Hitoka talked about her mom, and Kanoka mentioned her cousin. They bonded over being only children, and talked a bit about how their past schools were. Kanoka remembers something her old team did back in High School, and Yachi goes off with some of Karasuno’s antics.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before they knew, they’d been on the phone for three whole hours, Hitoka had completely forgotten about how tired she was, and Kanoka’s roommate called her for the second time now to help her out. That was what it took for them to realize that maybe it was time to hang up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks once again for letting me, you know, talk”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I kinda needed it too... Uh, I mean, listening to you and then talking helped me cool off after this final week of exams! So, yeah, thanks for that too”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re finally on summer break then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Almost! Just some final feedback tomorrow and I’ll have basically two months off!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Too bad we met so close to me going back to Tokyo… to think I was here for two weeks, and we only met last week… It would be cool if we could meet up more”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, when are you going? We could try to hang out before you have to go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re leaving Sunday morning, and I have to practice all day this Friday. Does Saturday work for you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No no! It’s completely fine if you’re busy or have plans already!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just… I’ve been pushing off buying a new work chair for weeks now, and I promised myself I would go to Ikea this Saturday, and I can’t go later because I was going to borrow my friend’s car and he uses it a lot-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ikea? I could go with you! You might need an extra pair of hands, and I absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> that place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure? It will probably be boring and take a long time, I can be pretty indecisive when it comes to, well, most things” Kanoka let out a chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise you, it’s no trouble for me, and I’ll be glad to help!” a muffled voice could be heard in the background, most likely Kanoka’s teammate again. “Uhm, crap, I really need to go. We can decide the details over text tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! You should really go help… whoever that was. She called you over a couple of times now”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An awkward silence fell upon them. In the end, it seemed like hanging up was way more difficult than they’d thought. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So…” She dragged the word a bit, both of them quickly growing stiffer. “I’ll talk to you later then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… I’ll see ya then”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, yeah, bye Yachi”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bye, Kanoka”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds passed before Hitoka heard the small beep, meaning the call ended. She didn’t move just yet, though. Staring at the blank wall, phone still in hand resting between her head and the pillow, the girl smiled. She was glad Kanoka called. She was even gladder they were able to talk for so long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With her worries about the grade now completely forgotten, Yachi pugged her phone in and turned off the bedside light, ready to now actually go to sleep. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she was way more excited to go out on Saturday now. The idea of spending an entire afternoon shopping with Kanoka gave her this funny feeling, not quite like nervousness, but not like just excitement either. Whatever it was, she was sure she liked it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As she was about to drift off, she remembered how she still needed to text Yamaguchi about being at home and about to finally get some rest. She sent him a quick </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll talk to you tomorrow”</span>
  </em>
  <span>, too busy thinking about the past few hours to say anything else. It was a bit easier relaxing and falling asleep that night than compared to that past week. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys, I am so so sorry it took me two full weeks to post this chapter, I was having some trouble with how I wanted to write it. I decided to cut it in half, not only because I was taking a lot of time to write it but also because it would be WAY too big if I put what's going to be on chapter four here!!<br/>I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I barely ever call people but this is how phone calls work in my head, I guess-</p>
<p>Next time: Feel Again</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Feel Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fellas is it gay to go to Ikea with a girl you just met bc she had to go back to another city and you really wanted to spend time with her before she did so?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Okay, let me see if I got this right, just one more time-” Yamaguchi said, as Hitoka checked her hair on the mirror once again. “You met this girl at the wedding a week ago, both talked and helped each other out for hours, exchanged phone numbers, didn’t talk for a week, which made you worry and do “badly” on your exams-” Yachi gave him a look from the mirror. She explained this all to him already the afternoon before, when the boy asked why she completely disappeared on Thursday after her classes were over. “-and then she finally called you, and you listened to her rant for an entire hour, only to then talk about god knows what for two more hours, and then you two decided… to go to Ikea together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka turned back to face Yamaguchi. The boy was lying on the couch, head resting against the hard armrest cushions and legs stretched out over Tsukishima, who was sitting with his legs crossed as he scrolled through his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, when you put it like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>it kinda does sound a bit off…” the girl sighed. The day before, after she attended to her final classes of the term, Yachi went straight to Yamaguchi’s place, knowing he was home early. He had been texting her like crazy, and since she promised to explain, she decided to do it in person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She told him with the least possible details about the night of the wedding how she ran away after the ceremony and met a girl outside. Trying to not give out too much about Kanoka, talking to Yamaguchi had never been so complicated. She told him the girl’s name, and that she was Tanaka’s childhood best friend. She assumed he connected some dots by himself after that. Hitoka talked about how she didn’t reply since she talked with Kanoka for hours on the phone and that she would need his car to go out with her, well, to go to Ikea with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yachi, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>a bit off. Like, it isn’t a very… you thing to do. This sounds like something Hinata would somehow do!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, don’t even make me think of that time with that one girl with the cat…” Tsukishima said, his face twisting into a mix of disgust and annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guys?! Not helping??!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, sorry… where were we again?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yachi freaking out because of Tanaka’s friend-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not freaking out! I mean, I kinda am, but this isn’t the point!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> the point then?” Yamaguchi’s gaze finally met her eyes again. Now that she stopped to think about it, why was she so worried?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m… not sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be fine! It’s going to be fun and you’ll finally buy your new chair!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just said it was a bit off for me to go with her to Ikea!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t listen to me, I have like no clue on what I’m saying like eighty-two percent of the time!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need to go before I get late…” Yachi let out a groan. Why was she so nervous? The day before, all she could think about was how it would be to see her again in person. Now, realization finally kicked, and she started to feel her stomach twist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s only twelve, didn’t you say you told her you’d meet her there at like one or something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll bring the car back by four, alright? I’ll see you guys later...” Hitoka cut him off, keys clacking on her hand as she opened the door, checking her hair out one last time before stepping out of the apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t dent my car,” Tsukishima said, his focus now completely back to his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Our</span>
  </em>
  <span> car. And good luck! Text us if you need anything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki! Don’t be me-” their voices were cut off by the sound of the door closing behind her. Every once in a while, those two could be as much of a mess as Hinata and Kageyama. Hand clutching her bag, Hitoka quickly made her way downstairs, unlocking Tsukishima’s car before she even got to it. In less than an hour, she would meet up with Kanoka, and they would spend the next few hours together. The thought of being able to spend some time with the girl again made Hitoka both excited and anxious, all the things that could go well and bad already flooding her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The seat belt connected to the buckle with a loud clack as she took a deep breath. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s just a chair. You’re going to Ikea to buy a work chair, Kanoka is going to help you out, and you’ll go back home. Stop overthinking this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the calm and collected section of her brain tried to say. She should listen to that section more often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning on the engine, Yachi kept holding on to that simple thought, and with a tight grip on the wheel, she drove off to finally buy her new work chair.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[12:48pm - From: Kanoka]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My friend will be dropping me off soon, I’ll let you know when I’m there!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[12:49pm - From: You]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ok! I’ll be right by the entrance near the </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>parking lot so it’s easier for you to spot me</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned her phone off with a light click, putting it back in her purse as she opened the car door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To make it easier for both of them, Hitoka opted to leave her car at the parking lot, and go to the entrance to wait for Kanoka to arrive. The air was hot all around her, and she was glad she chose to wear a summer dress to go out. The sun was so bright it hurt her eyes, and she tried to quickly make her way to the entrance of the large Ikea building, being the only shadowed area around. Leaning against the wall, she fiddled with the strap of her purse and looked around, waiting for the other girl to arrive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mind started to wander off, thinking about what she would do and what to buy. And, of course, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Yamaguchi had said to her earlier. Was it really off for her to do that? Meet up at Ikea with a girl she just met? The only thing that stopped her mind from asking a trillion other questions was the light buzz of her phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking it out of her purse, Yachi stared at the single notification on her home screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[12:52pm - From: Kanoka]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m here, where are you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hitoka looked around, and couldn’t contain a smile when she saw the other girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanoka wore a pair of high-waisted red shorts with a white shirt, which was tucked in but still baggy on her. She stood taller than the few people out and near them, and looked around, phone still in hand. When the girl looked in her direction, Yachi made sure to wave at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kanoka, hey!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a small jog, the girl came up to her, with a shy smile on her face and waving lightly too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now up close, Hitoka was able to see just how short she was compared to Kanoka. Sure, she already knew the girl was tall, but now that she actually stopped to think about it, she was probably only an inch shorter than Tsukishima. She had to tilt her head up to be able to face Kanoka in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yachi realized she hadn’t said anything in a while, and the silence slowly started to get awkward. She was glad the dark-haired girl spoke first, though, not wanting to risk saying anything dumb, or at least not just yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… are you looking for anything specific? Like do you have an idea of what chair you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Well, I wanted something a bit like my old one, but maybe a bit more… durable? Something that I won’t end up breaking by accident again… did I even tell you about how I broke my old chair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t even know you broke it, just that you needed a new one. What happened?” Kanoka chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m still not quite sure either… I got home like I always do, you know? But it had been a long day and I had this, like, project, thingy- this thing, and on top of that my bags were also with me and some mail too” looking up at the other, and moving her hands around like crazy, Hitoka didn’t even notice how they slowly started to move as she explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “And that would be fine if it weren't for the fact I ended up putting it all on the chair, but the chair was a bit more far away than I thought and it ended up falling over, with the projects and bags and everything, but somehow nothing </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> the chair broke. It had like the wheels thing? And the seat? It kinda- it disattached? What I mean is, it broke, but more like it just needed to be put together again, but it would be too much work to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the air around them got cooler, Hitoka realized they were already inside. Did she just talk the entire time by herself again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sorry, that was probably confusing- as I said I sometimes get lost in what I’m saying and go off by myself…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it, it’s kinda cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka’s face grew hot, and she tried to not freak out. A pretty girl calling her cute wasn’t something that happened very often. She couldn’t help but overthink every little detail of her interactions with people she just met, and it was no different with Kanoka. She needed to work on that. How did she even respond to something like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, is that a frog vase?!” Yachi’s attention was immediately brought to what the other girl was looking at. In one of the first rooms near the entrance, vases and plants were everywhere. The excitement was clear on Kanoka’s face, and it was clear she wasn’t just saying when she said she loved to go to Ikea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Hitoka would be lying if she didn’t find all those vases too cute to not stare at, so both Kanoka and her spent some solid minutes admiring the ones on display.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked around for a bit more before Kanoka cleaned her throat slightly with a cough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… let’s get you a new chair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka nodded, eager for them to talk some more as they did so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, things started to progress rather smoothly. Yachi expected for her to take hours to pick a chair, but what ended up happening was that it took them hours to get </span>
  <em>
    <span>to</span>
  </em>
  <span> the chairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In between getting distracted by traditional Japanese decorations and Kanoka telling her about how they reminded her of her old house, and newer modern pillows that were just too cute to simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> hug, getting lost almost twice on the kitchen sections, and somehow ending up back at the entrance, they also got distracted talking about their friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walked around in the bedroom sections, both ended up sharing stories of old training camps with their respective teams. While they checked out some plants and vases, somehow the topic of hating waking up early came up. It had been a long time since Hitoka had last been able to so easily talk to someone she just met, maybe even a bit too easy. She liked it, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was way past three when they finally got around picking Yachi’s work chair. And, that was probably the quickest part of their day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they entered the office room section, Hitoka checked one or two chairs before finally deciding on a simple yet comfortable black one, that was more than she could have wished for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright! We’re all set then. All that’s left is to grab everything from the storage and put it in your car.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna grab something to eat first? I mean, so then we don’t have all those boxes with us and we don’t have to worry about it later.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’d like to also spend some more time with you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan to me.” Kanoka’s smile was sweet, and Hitoka couldn’t help but stare as they made their way to the cafeteria.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily, the place wasn’t too crowded, but that meant it didn’t take them long to go and get everything in the storage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The real problem was how to fit everything in the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, you may be asking, what is everything? Weren’t they just buying a work chair? The simple answer would be, yes, they did only go there to buy a work chair. Now, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>truthful</span>
  </em>
  <span> answer would be, yes, but somehow one work chair turned into four large boxes, three pillows, a plant vase, and a new desk lamp. But, in Hitoka’s defense, one of the pillows was Kanoka’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After almost twenty minutes of playing a real-life Tetris game with the all boxes, they gave up on trying to fit things in the trunk of the car, and settled for piling it all up on the backseat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s all secured now!” Yachi said, closing the back door after checking the seatbelts holding the boxes together one more time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure you’re good to go? I could help you take everything home if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Hitoka wanted to spend some more time with Kanoka, especially since the girl was going back to Tokyo soon, she didn’t want to abuse of her kindness either. She had already gone out of her way to help her quite a lot today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she could say anything though, Kanoka was already typing something on her phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have the rest of the day free, and, well, my friend can only pick me up later anyway. Besides, these are some pretty big boxes, so I could be somewhat useful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were many things Hitoka wanted to say. She wanted to thank her once again for helping, and say she enjoyed spending some time together. She wanted to apologize for taking so long on Ikea, and thank her but say it would be asking for too much by asking for Kanoka to help her with taking things back home. Instead, she said none of those things and blurted out what she really wanted, even though she didn’t quite want to say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would actually be great! And we’d also be able to spend some more time together too.” She finished the sentence before she even realized what she was saying. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I just say that out loud? Say something to her! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Her face grew hot, but the other girl spoke before Yachi could try to apologize for sounding a bit weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would like that too.” Hitoka’s heart fluttered a bit at how sweet Kanoka’s smile was.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end, it was incredibly good that Hitoka accepted Kanoka’s extra help. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon arriving, taking everything out of the car, and starting to take the boxes upstairs, her arms almost gave out when trying to lift the new bookshelf. Which, by all means, was no surprise, since she had barely exercised these past few months, and back at the storage she almost fell backward when trying the same thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanoka, on the other hand, lifted the boxes as if they were made of feathers, giggling slightly as Yachi struggled with the plant vase. It brought back memories of when she first moved into that apartment, her mom being desperate to help as much as possible and sending her poor assistant to help her out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you live alone, right? This is a pretty good place.” Kanoka said, as she put the final box down. Hitoka offered her a glass of water, which the girl gladly accepted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… It was surprisingly cheap and I moved here at the beginning of the year. It’s close to the campus and close to where I plan on doing my internship too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Now that you mention it, I don’t think you talked much about what you’re majoring in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I’m studying to be a graphic designer and promoter, just like my mom! If I keep up with my high scores I might be able to do my internship at her company.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m sure you’ll do just fine and be their top pick for their internship… if that’s how internships even work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about you? How have things been for you lately?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seated side by side on the floor, the two started to open the boxes and build her shelf and chair, the conversation flowing nicely as they tried to figure out the instructions. Neither of them had much experience with it, which just made things more difficult and somehow funny at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka would be telling a story, stopping herself every once in a while to ask for a different tool, and Kanoka would give it to her and add on to whatever she was talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanoka told her some more about what being a professional volleyball player was like, and Yachi got tired just thinking about all the training she had to go through daily. They somehow got into the topic of pets, Hitoka never having one when she was younger since it would be too much responsibility, and Kanoka being surrounded by them ever since she was little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait wait wait, you have a cat?!” Hitoka said, excitement getting the best of her, making her almost drop the wooden shelf she was holding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do! Her name’s Buttercup and she’s such an angel. You like cats?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I absolutely love them! I’ve never had one, but they’re just so so cute and fluffy and a bit scary sometimes but fluffy!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mine’s like that too,” Kanoka said with a chuckle. “She is extremely cute and has a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of fur, and it’s like caramel-ish, more to a white shade? She’s usually at my friend’s house when I’m out for games but I always make sure to give her lots of hugs once I’m back. I can send you pictures once I’m home, if you want.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would love that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laughed, talked, and after what felt like no time at all, they finished putting everything together, Hitoka’s chair and shelf ready to be used. When they finally got around checking the time, it was past ten, and Kanoka needed to go home and get some rest before going back to Tokyo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka was really, really glad Kanoka came with her that day. It had been a long time since she had been able to feel distracted and happy like that. It was good to feel it again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn’t spend any more time with Kanoka, though. The girl had to go home and pack to go back to Tokyo, and she didn’t want to bother her for too much longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should probably call my friend, uhm, she can pick me up in no time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I could drive you to the hotel you’re staying at.” Hitoka didn’t want the girl to have to go through any more trouble, so giving her a ride was the least she could do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to cause you trouble-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You spent the whole day helping me out to pick a work chair, and still came over to help me bring things home, so this is like the minimum I can do for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then… if you’re sure that’s no trouble for you, I would love it if you could give me a ride. Must be nice having your own car.” Kanoka answered with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka just smiled back, and it took a few seconds for realization to finally kick in. She let out a gasp as her eyes went wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit! I forgot to return Tsukishima’s car! Oh no he's gonna kill me-” her voice changed between three octaves as she spoke, covering her mouth with her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you mean that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> your car?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s, well, it’s my friend’s car and he said I could have it for the day. I think I mentioned him before? Well, he and Yamaguchi let me take it but I was supposed to take it back like earlier today” stumbling upon her words, Yachi tried to find her phone around the living room to text them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well… when were you supposed to return it to them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At, well, at like four.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh…” Kanoka now looked a bit more like Hitoka, surprise and even panic clear on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I should call them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should call them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pressing the call button, Hitoka grabbed the keys and Kanoka signaled for them to go. The phone rang a couple of times, and Yamaguchi finally picked up once they were already halfway through the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yama! Okay so uh.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I kinda got distracted with Kanoka and I still have your car and I am so so sorry but I had so much fun today I didn’t even realize time passed so fast.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still have my car” Yamaguchi didn’t sound annoyed, he sounded… amused. In the background, she could hear Tsukishima saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>our car Tadashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but she decided to ignore him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still have your car” Hitoka sighed, looking at Kanoka, who tried to hold back a small smile. “But I’m bringing it back soon! I’m just going to drop Kanoka off at her hotel and then I’ll-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait wait wait, you two are </span>
  <em>
    <span>still</span>
  </em>
  <span> together? Weren’t you just going to Ikea for like two hours or so?” he cut her off, and Hitoka could feel the surprise radiating from the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yes, but just because she came over so she could help me with like the instructions and big boxes and plants-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weren’t you just buying a work chair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and then we were talking and ordered pizza-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pizza?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-and once we realized how late it was I remembered about your car, so, uh, yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just…” he sighed “give it back tomorrow, I’ll stop by your place in the morning…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- wait, are you sure?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah yeah… go drop your friend off, we can talk more about your day tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure! Sorry again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. Tsukki is telling you to drive safely” a muffled voice could be faintly heard in the background. “...well, to not crash the car, but I think he means to be safe.” another complaint from Tsukishima can be heard. “Tsukki! Anyways, good night!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night, ‘yama.” he hung up a few seconds later, and Hitoka’s focus changed to Kanoka again. The girl looked at her, a small smile on her lips. By now, they were already downstairs near the parking lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry uh it was probably confusing to hear only one side of the conversation,”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, really. It was actually kinda interesting.” she chuckled “But what did he say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! He said I don’t need to worry and he’ll just stop by tomorrow to take it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good then. Your friends don’t even know me but already probably hate me. I took up a lot of your time today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no no! I was the one who took your time today, and don’t worry they don’t hate you. Yamaguchi has hated exactly four people in his entire life because he’s just like that. And, well, Tsukishima just hates everyone, well everyone but Yamaguchi, so yeah there’s no need to worry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… oh! Tsukishima is the one Ryu mentioned then. He talked about a ‘stingy blond that pretends he doesn’t love us’, or something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitoka had to laugh, the other girl not being able to hold one back either. Yup, that was definitely Tsukishima. She couldn’t help but wonder if Tanaka had ever talked about her to Kanoka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got in the car, the other girl already pulling out her phone to show Yachi the directions as she started the engine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that, they talked a bit more about friends and Tanaka, things he used to do and still does. Hitoka had never felt so relaxed while driving. They just talked again the whole way, almost missing Kanoka’s hotel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Soooo…” Kanoka dragged out the word, seat belt already loose. “Thanks for letting me come with you today, I really liked spending the day with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, me too… and uh, thanks for helping me out so much. Really, today was really fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both smiled, silence slowly starting to get awkward, but none knowing what to say nor wanting to say goodbye just yet. Hitoka wondered when she and Kanoka would next be able to see each other. It really had been a long time since she had last been able to feel that way, so carefree with someone she’d just met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, it wasn’t like they had ever been complete strangers, right? At least now they could be maybe even considered friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanoka was the one who broke the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess this is goodbye for now… I had a lot of fun today, really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did too, so, uhm, yeah.” it was awkward, but Hitoka didn’t mind much at this point. “Bye, then, I… I hope you have a safe ride tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll text you later then. See ya, Yachi”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See ya, Kanoka”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she watched as Kanoka left the car, her hair shining in the dark, waiting for her to get inside the hotel before driving off.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>OKAY SO<br/>I am so sorry it took me like 3 weeks to finally post this chapter, but it is a bit longer than the others (I didn't even realize I got to 4k words-). I will try to post the next ones more consistently.<br/>Anyways, I decided to stop being a coward and actually put TsukkiYama in the relationships tags because they deserve it.</p><p>Thanks for reading, kudos and comments are always appreciated ^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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